B’s McAvoy to debut under bright lights
Charlie McAvoy made it look easy as he climbed each rung of the hockey ladder, from youth teams on Long Island to the United States national program, Boston University, the world junior tournament and, for a brief spell, the AHL’s Providence Bruins.
Now comes the biggest test for the 19-year-old All-America defenseman, who signed a threeyear, entry-level contract with the Bruins and will be in their lineup tomorrow night against the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
“I’m real excited,” McAvoy said yesterday after his first Bruins practice. “It’s been kind of a whirlwind few days here. It was a great first practice.”
This series against Ottawa promises to be highly intense, physical and tight, a difficult environment for a kid playing his first game in the NHL. But the B’s are confident the poised and talented McAvoy, their first-round pick (No. 14) in last summer’s draft, is up to the challenge.
“Charlie is a guy, up to this point, who has had no problem in the limelight, in big games,” B’s interim coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We’ll hope that continues.”
The 6-foot, 208-pound McAvoy will be pressed into service because of the absences of injured defensemen Torey Krug (suspected knee injury) and Brandon Carlo (suspected concussion). The B’s are being predictably vague about the health of the two players, beyond saying neither will be ready for Game 1.
Since concluding his second and final season at BU on March 25, McAvoy spent time on an amateur tryout with the Providence Bruins, during which he had two assists and a plus-3 rating in four games.
He showed enough to convince the B’s brass he can step in and help, even in the intense environment of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“We feel comfortable having seen him play recently, with the skill set that Charlie (has), that he’d be able to handle it,” general manager Don Sweeney said. “He played well (at Providence). He supported well playing with Tommy Cross. Charlie did what he does best, moving pucks and (playing) physical when he needed to. He’s learning the structure and how to play without the puck, which is an area we wanted him to understand that at the next level it’s going to be much more difficult.
“It’s a sharp learning curve, but we feel very good about his skill set and what he brings to the table. He’s a kid who seeks out the bigger moments.”
Cassidy watched McAvoy play in Providence and hopes he can bring the same skills at the higher level. McAvoy was paired with John-Michael Liles yesterday, but Cassidy said he also could play next to Zdeno Chara or Kevan Miller.
“We’re just getting to know Charlie,” the coach said. “He just arrived. He had a good practice. He played well in Providence. He played to his strengths: puckmoving, defended well, wants the puck, good composure. How that translates to the National Hockey League, Game 1 of the playoffs, is to be determined.
“He hasn’t been tested by NHL forwards, so we’ll see how well he can defend. . . . Whatever happens with Torey, Charlie is going to add his dimension. You can’t have too many good defenders and good puck-movers.”
For his part, like most rookie defensemen, McAvoy plans to keep things simple.
“It’s the next step, (and) it’s obviously the highest level,” he said. “I have a feeling I’ll be put in the best position to succeed. If I get the opportunity to play, I’ll just play simple, do what I have done that has gotten me to this point. (I’ll just) play a simple game, play strong defense and contribute when I can.”
The Bruins are confident McAvoy will contribute greatly on the blue line for years to come. Ideally, that will start with Game 1 tomorrow night in Ottawa.